Acknowledging an increasing trend toward internet-derived acronyms and text-speak, forthcoming dictionaries will introduce phrases such as 'BRB', 'LOL' and 'OMG', as well as revised spellings of the words 'genius', 'definitely' and 'separate'.
"As language evolves, we strive to provide dictionary and thesaurus resources that reflect these changes," said Oxford spokesperson Michael Wisp. "For example, transitive verbs such as 'socialize' will be replaced by the more popular verb 'to Facebook', while abstract nouns like 'thought' and 'dedication' will be cut in favor of simpler spellings virtually devoid of vowels. It's just going to make the dictionary a lot simpler for our readers. No more multi-syllabic words, no more complex suffixes and prefixes; just the most primitive and unsophisticated words imaginable."
Plans to simplify the dictionary are seen as an effort by all the major distributors to appeal to the 10-25 demographic, whose creative use of popular phrases such as 'ROFL', 'epic fail' and 'fuk u' continues to dominate the landscape of the once overly-complicated English Language.
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